"April Morning," a film version of Howard Fast's 1961...

April 23, 1988|By Barbara Szul.

``April Morning,`` a film version of Howard Fast`s 1961 novel about the start of the American Revolutionary War, airs at 8 p.m. Sunday on CBS-Ch. 2 as the 157th ``Hallmark Hall of Fame`` presentation. The story is not a typical blood-and-guts battle tale, but an insightful look at the emotions of people caught up in a series of events-particularly a 15-year-old Lexington farm boy who wants nothing more than to earn his father`s respect.

Chad Lowe stars as young Adam Cooper who, in his father`s (Tommy Lee Jones) eyes, is an immature and careless teenager. But in the early hours of April 19, 1775, Adam and his father are among a handful of Lexington villagers who stand together in protest to meet a British regiment on their way to Concord. A shot is fired and the American Revolution begins.

While ``April Morning`` chronicles the first moments of the birth of our nation, it`s more the story of Adam`s first steps into manhood and his relationship with his parents. Also starring are Susan Blakely as Adam`s mother, and Robert Urich as his neighbor. Rip Torn plays a Lexington villager who may have been the first to pull the trigger on that fateful day.